Manufacturer catalog

Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA)

Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) is Iran's state-owned aerospace manufacturer in the IAIO and MODAFL industrial chain, with public reporting tied to military aircraft, UAV, and helicopter production.

3 weapons

Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company is the fuller legal form behind the HESA acronym used across sanctions notices, reference databases, and aviation reporting. Public sources place the company inside Iran's state-owned defense-industrial structure under the Iran Aviation Industries Organization and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.

This catalog page exists to anchor catalog entries that cite HESA as the manufacturer or industrial origin, especially Iranian aircraft and UAV families. Public histories also trace the enterprise to Iran Helicopter Company origins, so the profile keeps that broader lineage visible instead of flattening it into a single corporate label.

Military aircraftUnmanned aerial vehiclesHelicoptersAerospace manufacturing

Notable Systems

Ababil-series UAVs

Treasury describes HESA as a producer of Iran's Ababil-series unmanned aerial vehicles.

Sources: Treasury UAV program

IR.AN-140 aircraft

GlobalSecurity and Iran Watch both describe HESA as responsible for IR.AN-140 production and related support work.

Sources: GlobalSecurity profile, Iran Watch entity profile

Shahed 129 UAV

Iran Watch describes HESA as a reported manufacturer of the Shahed 129 UAV family.

Sources: Iran Watch entity profile

Shahed 278 helicopter

Iran Watch lists the SHAHED-278 helicopter among systems produced by HESA.

Sources: Iran Watch entity profile

Manufacturer History

1964
Iran Helicopter Company lineage
Iran Watch traces the company back to Iran Helicopter Company, established in 1964, before the later HESA identity.
Sources: Iran Watch entity profile
1976
HESA established
GlobalSecurity says HESA was established in 1976 and belongs to the Iranian Aviation Industries Organization.
Sources: GlobalSecurity profile
2025-07-31
Treasury reaffirms UAV role
Treasury described HESA as a state-owned MODAFL subsidiary manufacturing military aircraft and Ababil-series UAVs.
Sources: Treasury UAV program

Predecessors

Iran Helicopter Company

Website links

Official website Treasury UAV program Iran Watch entity profile GlobalSecurity profile

Public references are sparse and sometimes inconsistent: some trace the company to Iran Helicopter Company in 1964, while others treat HESA as established in 1976. This profile keeps the current HESA name, preserves the earlier lineage as a predecessor, and limits claims to source-backed corporate and product context.

Manufacturer Sources

Treasury UAV programPublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury | Note: Supports HESA as a state-owned MODAFL subsidiary that manufactures military aircraft and Ababil-series UAVs. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Iran Watch entity profilePublisher: Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control | Note: Supports the 1964 Iran Helicopter Company lineage, the HESA corporate identity, and the linked aircraft and UAV families described on the profile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
GlobalSecurity profilePublisher: GlobalSecurity | Note: Supports the 1976 establishment date, Tehran head office, Shahin Shahr factory context, and the public alias list used for HESA. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
OpenSanctions entity profilePublisher: OpenSanctions | Note: Supports HESA naming variants such as HESA Trade Center, IAMCO, IAMI, HTC, and Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Company. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Commons HESA logoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the reusable HESA company logo image; the file page identifies it as sourced from www.hesa.ir and marked public domain in Iran. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Qasef-1 loitering munition / UAV, Loitering munition / UAV, Aircraft & UAVs

2014 Yemen Civil WarQasef-1 loitering munition / UAVLoitering munition / UAVBuilt in: IranThe Qasef-1 is an Iranian-linked, Houthi-operated loitering munition/UAV in the Ababil-T or Ababil-II design family. Conflict Armament Research documented recovered and intercepted examples in Yemen, tied the type to attacks on Saudi-led coalition Patriot radar sets, and later distinguished imported production-line airframes from a hybrid example that suggested growing local assembly capacity.

Ababil-3 UAV, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs

2011 Syrian Civil War, 2013 War in Iraq +2 moreAbabil-3 UAVUnmanned aerial vehicleBuilt in: IranThe Ababil-3 is an Iranian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle in the HESA Ababil family, used primarily for reconnaissance and surveillance. Open-source conflict reporting links the type or local derivatives to Syrian government-aligned operations, Iraq-aligned militia use, and Sudanese Armed Forces drone activity, while separate imagery connects the airframe to Almas missile carriage.

Ababil-5 UAV, Unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs

Ababil-5 UAVUnmanned combat aerial vehicleBuilt in: IranThe Ababil-5 is an Iranian fixed-wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle unveiled during Iran's 2022 Army Day parade. Current source-backed coverage centers on Iranian service, reconnaissance and strike exercises, and carriage of Almas and Qaem-family munitions, while conflict reporting usually points to older Ababil-family aircraft.